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Kang B, Wang J, Guo S, Yang L. Mercury-induced toxicity: Mechanisms, molecular pathways, and gene regulation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 943:173577. [PMID: 38852866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Mercury is a well-known neurotoxicant for humans and wildlife. The epidemic of mercury poisoning in Japan has clearly demonstrated that chronic exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) results in serious neurological damage to the cerebral and cerebellar cortex, leading to the dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS), especially in infants exposed to MeHg in utero. The occurrences of poisoning have caused a wide public concern regarding the health risk emanating from MeHg exposure; particularly those eating large amounts of fish may experience the low-level and long-term exposure. There is growing evidence that MeHg at environmentally relevant concentrations can affect the health of biota in the ecosystem. Although extensive in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that the disruption of redox homeostasis and microtube assembly is mainly responsible for mercurial toxicity leading to adverse health outcomes, it is still unclear whether we could quantitively determine the occurrence of interaction between mercurial and thiols and/or selenols groups of proteins linked directly to outcomes, especially at very low levels of exposure. Furthermore, intracellular calcium homeostasis, cytoskeleton, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter release, and DNA methylation may be the targets of mercury compounds; however, the primary targets associated with the adverse outcomes remain to be elucidated. Considering these knowledge gaps, in this article, we conducted a comprehensive review of mercurial toxicity, focusing mainly on the mechanism, and genes/proteins expression. We speculated that comprehensive analyses of transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics could enhance interpretation of "omics" profiles, which may reveal specific biomarkers obviously correlated with specific pathways that mediate selective neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolun Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Jinghan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Shaojuan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012 Beijing, China
| | - Lixin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012 Beijing, China.
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2
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Wang R, Guo S, Kang B, Yang L. Toxicogenomic signatures associated with methylmercury induced developmental toxicity in the zebrafish embryos. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137380. [PMID: 36435318 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a toxicant with adverse effects on embryogenesis from fish to man. The developmental outcomes of MeHg are well understood, but molecular understanding of toxicity is rather limited. We performed here a genome-wide transcriptional analyses of 6, 30, and 50 μg/L MeHg exposed zebrafish embryos from 4 to 72 h post-fertilization (hpf) using RNA-sequencing and microarray, and conducted a systematical comparison of MeHg-induced transcriptomic responses reported in this and our previous studies. We observed MeHg significantly to disrupt expression of 1050, 1931, and 2996 genes, respectively including gene ontologies in terms of visual and sensory perception, phototransduction, ferroptosis, and GABAergic synapse. Significantly altered genes were associated with ontology categorized into metabolism, such as fatty acid, amino acid, and glutathione metabolism across all experiments. Expression of genes involved in Wnt, Shh, and Notch signaling pathways previously demonstrated to be crucial for development was changed at varying levels dependent on exposure concentrations and durations. Our findings show MeHg significantly to affect expression of genes associated with tissue and/or organs developmental processing including eye, lateral line, fins, and brain, especially in embryos exposed to 6 μg/L, which did not cause obviously toxic effects on zebrafish embryos. We obtain 21 genes being significantly altered by MeHg in a concentration and stage independent manner, and might be served as signatures for developmental toxicity and/or teratogenic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruihong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojuan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Bolun Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Lixin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China.
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3
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Garcia-Calvo E, Cabezas-Sanchez P, Luque-Garcia JL. In-vitro and in-vivo evaluation of the molecular mechanisms involved in the toxicity associated to CdSe/ZnS quantum dots exposure. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 263:128170. [PMID: 33297139 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The use of different types of quantum dots is growing in recent times in both the technology and biomedical industries. Such is the extension of the use of these quantum dots that they have become potential emerging contaminants, which makes it necessary to evaluate their potential toxicity and the impact they may have on both health and the environment. Although studies already exist in this regard, the molecular mechanisms by which CdSe/ZnS quantum dots exert their toxic effects are still unknown. For this reason, in this study, a comprehensive proteomic approach has been designed, applying the SILAC strategy to an in-vitro model (hepatic cells) and the super-SILAC alternative to an in-vivo model, specifically zebrafish larvae. This integral approach, together with additional bioanalytical assays, has made it possible for the identification of proteins, molecular mechanisms and, therefore, biological processes that are altered as a consequence of exposure to CdSe/ZnS quantum dots. It has been demonstrated, on the one hand, that these quantum dots induce hypoxia and ROS generation in hepatic cells, which leads to apoptosis, specifically through the TDP-43 pathway. On the other hand, it has been shown that exposure to CdSe/ZnS quantum dots has a high impact on developing organisms, inducing serious neural and developmental problems in the locomotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Garcia-Calvo
- Dpt. Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - P Cabezas-Sanchez
- Dpt. Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - J L Luque-Garcia
- Dpt. Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Spain.
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4
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Yang L, Zhang Y, Wang F, Luo Z, Guo S, Strähle U. Toxicity of mercury: Molecular evidence. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 245:125586. [PMID: 31881386 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 161] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Minamata disease in Japan and the large-scale poisoning by methylmercury (MeHg) in Iraq caused wide public concerns about the risk emanating from mercury for human health. Nowadays, it is widely known that all forms of mercury induce toxic effects in mammals, and increasing evidence supports the concern that environmentally relevant levels of MeHg could impact normal biological functions in wildlife. The information of mechanism involved in mercurial toxicity is growing but knowledge gaps still exist between the adverse effects and mechanisms of action, especially at the molecular level. A body of data obtained from experimental studies on mechanisms of mercurial toxicity in vivo and in vitro points to that disruption of the antioxidant system may play an important role in the mercurial toxic effects. Moreover, the accumulating evidence indicates that signaling transduction, protein or/and enzyme activity, and gene regulation are involving in mediating toxic and adaptive response to mercury exposure. We conducted here a comprehensive review of mercurial toxic effects on wildlife and human, in particular synthesized key findings of molecular pathways involved in mercurial toxicity from the cells to human. We discuss the molecular evidence related mercurial toxicity to the adverse effects, with particular emphasis on the gene regulation. The further studies relying on Omic analysis connected to adverse effects and modes of action of mercury will aid in the evaluation and validation of causative relationship between health outcomes and gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China; Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, 211166, Nanjing, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Feifei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Zidie Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Shaojuan Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 100012, Beijing, China
| | - Uwe Strähle
- Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
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5
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Cabezas-Sanchez P, Rainieri S, Conlledo N, Barranco A, Sanz-Landaluze J, Camara C, Luque-Garcia JL. Impact of selenium co-administration on methylmercury exposed eleutheroembryos and adult zebrafish (Danio rerio): Changes in bioaccumulation and gene expression. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 236:124295. [PMID: 31319311 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mercury still represents one of the most hazardous threats for the aquatic ecosystem due to its high toxicity, and the fact that it can be easily incorporated into the food chain by accumulation in fish as MeHg. On the other hand, selenium is a micronutrient that is part of different antioxidant enzymes that regulate the cellular redox state, and whose complex interaction with Hg has been extensively studied from a toxicological point of view. In order to evaluate the protective effect of Se(IV) co-administration against MeHg accumulation and toxicity, we have selected an in-vivo model at two developmental stages: zebrafish eleutheroembryos and adult fish. Embryos were exposed during 48 h to MeHg (5 or 25 μg/l) and a concentration of Se (IV) representing a molar ratio close to one (2.5 or 12.5 μg/l), while adult zebrafish were exposed during 72 h to either 25 μg/l of MeHg alone or co-exposed with 12.5 μg/l of Se (IV). A significant decrease in MeHg bioaccumulation factor was observed in eleutheroembryos co-exposed to Se(IV). A time-dependent accumulation of MeHg was observed in all the analyzed organs and tissues of adult fish, which was significantly reduced in the muscular tissue and the intestine by Se(IV) co-administration. However, such protection against MeHg bioaccumulation was not maintained in the brain and liver. The data derived from the gene expression analysis also demonstrated the protective effect of Se(IV) against MeHg-induced oxidative stress and the activation of different defense mechanisms by Se(IV) co-administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Cabezas-Sanchez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Rainieri
- Food Research Division, AZTI, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Astondo Bidea 609, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Nadia Conlledo
- Food Research Division, AZTI, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Astondo Bidea 609, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Alejandro Barranco
- Food Research Division, AZTI, Parque Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Astondo Bidea 609, 48160, Derio, Spain
| | - Jon Sanz-Landaluze
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Camara
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose L Luque-Garcia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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6
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Li D, Xie L, Carvan MJ, Guo L. Mitigative effects of natural and model dissolved organic matter with different functionalities on the toxicity of methylmercury in embryonic zebrafish. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2019; 252:616-626. [PMID: 31185350 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.05.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) occurs ubiquitously in aquatic environments and plays an intrinsic role in altering the chemical speciation and toxicity of methylmercury (MeHg). However, interactions between MeHg and natural DOM remain poorly understood, especially at the functional group level. We report here the mitigative effects of three natural organic matter (NOM) and five model-DOM under different concentrations (0, 1, 3, 10, 30 and 100 mg-C/L) on the toxicity of MeHg in embryonic zebrafish (<4 h post-fertilization, hpf). NOM are those from the Mississippi River, Yukon River, and Suwannee River, while model-DOM include those containing thiosalicylic acid, L-glutathione, dextran, alginic acid, and humic acid. We selected a MeHg concentration (100 n-mol/L) that reduces the survival rate of embryos at 24 hpf by 18% and increases malformations at 72 and 96 hpf. In the presence of DOM, however, the malformation rates induced by MeHg can be mitigated to a different extent depending on DOM concentrations, specific functional groups, and/or specific components. Model DOM with aromatic thiols was the most effective at mitigating the effects of MeHg, followed by L-glutathione, carbohydrates, and humic acid. NOM also mitigated the toxicity of MeHg dependent on their composition and/or effective DOM components as characterized by fluorescence excitation-emission matrix techniques. Specifically, humic-like DOM components are more effective in reducing the MeHg toxicity in the embryonic zebrafish compared to protein-like components. Further studies are needed to elucidate the interactions between DOM and MeHg and the mitigative mechanisms at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, USA; Key Laboratory of Pollution Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Lingtian Xie
- SCNU Environmental Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Environmental Theoretical Chemistry, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Michael J Carvan
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, USA
| | - Laodong Guo
- School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E Greenfield Ave., Milwaukee, WI, 53204, USA.
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7
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Ren Z, Cao L, Huang W, Liu J, Cui W, Dou S. Toxicity Test Assay of Waterborne Methylmercury on the Japanese Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) at Embryonic-Larval Stages. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2019; 102:770-777. [PMID: 31011767 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-019-02619-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is a widespread pollutant in aquatic ecosystems, but its toxicity to the early life stages of marine fish has not been adequately investigated. This study used acute toxicity tests on embryonic-larval stages of a marine flounder Paralichthys olivaceus to determine the LC50 values for embryos and larvae and evaluate the responses of several biological endpoints to subacute MeHg exposure. Under exposures (0-15 μg L-1) below LC50 values ( < 15.3 μg L-1 for embryos and 16.3 μg L-1 for larvae), embryos were more sensitive to MeHg than were the larvae. MeHg exposures at ≥ 13 μg L-1 increased morphological deformities and mortality, reduced growth and yolk absorption rate of the embryonic-larval flounder. These endpoints were sensitive to MeHg and their responses were dose-dependent. They could be used as bioindicators for assessing MeHg toxicity to the ELS of the flounder. Embryonic-larval flounder could be a useful fish for ecotoxicological assessment of MeHg in marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Liang Cao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Jinhu Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China
| | - Wenting Cui
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Shuozeng Dou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment Sciences, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266071, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, China.
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8
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Characterization of molecular biomarkers of mercury exposure to muscle tissue of Plagioscion squamosissimus and Colossoma macropomum from the Amazon region. Food Chem 2019; 276:247-254. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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9
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Dong W, Liu J, Wei L, Jingfeng Y, Chernick M, Hinton DE. Developmental toxicity from exposure to various forms of mercury compounds in medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) embryos. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2282. [PMID: 27635309 PMCID: PMC5012308 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined developmental toxicity of different mercury compounds, including some used in traditional medicines. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) embryos were exposed to 0.001–10 µM concentrations of MeHg, HgCl2, α-HgS (Zhu Sha), and β-HgS (Zuotai) from stage 10 (6–7 hpf) to 10 days post fertilization (dpf). Of the forms of mercury in this study, the organic form (MeHg) proved the most toxic followed by inorganic mercury (HgCl2), both producing embryo developmental toxicity. Altered phenotypes included pericardial edema with elongated or tube heart, reduction of eye pigmentation, and failure of swim bladder inflation. Both α-HgS and β-HgS were less toxic than MeHg and HgCl2. Total RNA was extracted from survivors three days after exposure to MeHg (0.1 µM), HgCl2 (1 µM), α-HgS (10 µM), or β-HgS (10 µM) to examine toxicity-related gene expression. MeHg and HgCl2 markedly induced metallothionein (MT) and heme oxygenase-1 (Ho-1), while α-HgS and β-HgS failed to induce either gene. Chemical forms of mercury compounds proved to be a major determinant in their developmental toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Dong
- Inner Mongolia Provincial Key Laboratory for Toxicants and Animal Disease, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities, Tongliao, China; Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jie Liu
- Zunyi Medical College, Department of Pharmacology , Zunyi , China
| | - Lixin Wei
- Department of Tibetan Medicine, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Xining , China
| | - Yang Jingfeng
- Inner Mongolia Provincial Key Laboratory for Toxicants and Animal Disease, College of Animal Science and Technology, Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities , Tongliao , China
| | - Melissa Chernick
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University , Durham , NC , United States
| | - David E Hinton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University , Durham , NC , United States
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10
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Cabezas-Sanchez P, Garcia-Calvo E, Camara C, Luque-Garcia JL. A quantitative proteomic approach for unveiling novel mechanisms associated with MeHg-induced toxicity: effects on the methylation cycle. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2016; 5:291-302. [PMID: 30090345 PMCID: PMC6062361 DOI: 10.1039/c5tx00354g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is still a major threat for human health and the environment due to its extremely high toxicity that mainly affects the nervous system. Despite the great efforts made during the last few decades, the specific molecular mechanisms involved in MeHg-induced toxicity are still not completely unveiled. In this work we explored such mechanisms using neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a) and SILAC as a quantitative proteomic approach. We found that exposure of Neuro-2a cells to 2 mg L-1 MeHg for 8 h decreased the cell viability to 70% and caused significant changes in the morphology of the cells, specially regarding neurite development. Our proteomic results showed different proteins altered upon MeHg exposure that helped to identify pathways related to the toxicity exerted by MeHg. Specifically, we have found that MeHg affects the methylation cycle by inhibiting the expression of key enzymes including MTHFD1 and MTR. Moreover, we demonstrate that inhibition of MTHFD1 is not observed when exposing the cells to inorganic Hg and other heavy metals such as Pb or Cu. Thus, this work sets the stage for dissecting a specific molecular mechanism for MeHg-induced toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Cabezas-Sanchez
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , Faculty of Chemistry , Complutense University of Madrid , 28040 , Madrid , Spain . ; Tel: +34913944318
| | - Estefania Garcia-Calvo
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , Faculty of Chemistry , Complutense University of Madrid , 28040 , Madrid , Spain . ; Tel: +34913944318
| | - Carmen Camara
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , Faculty of Chemistry , Complutense University of Madrid , 28040 , Madrid , Spain . ; Tel: +34913944318
| | - Jose L Luque-Garcia
- Department of Analytical Chemistry , Faculty of Chemistry , Complutense University of Madrid , 28040 , Madrid , Spain . ; Tel: +34913944318
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11
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Hausen J, Otte JC, Strähle U, Hammers-Wirtz M, Hollert H, Keiter SH, Ottermanns R. Fold-change threshold screening: a robust algorithm to unmask hidden gene expression patterns in noisy aggregated transcriptome data. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:16384-16392. [PMID: 26178833 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptomics is often used to investigate changes in an organism's genetic response to environmental contamination. Data noise can mask the effects of contaminants making it difficult to detect responding genes. Because the number of genes which are found differentially expressed in transcriptome data is often very large, algorithms are needed to reduce the number down to a few robust discriminative genes. We present an algorithm for aggregated analysis of transcriptome data which uses multiple fold-change thresholds (threshold screening) and p values from Bayesian generalized linear model in order to assess the robustness of a gene as a potential indicator for the treatments tested. The algorithm provides a robustness indicator (ROBI) as well as a significance profile, which can be used to assess the statistical significance of a given gene for different fold-change thresholds. Using ROBI, eight discriminative genes were identified from an exemplary dataset (Danio rerio FET treated with chlorpyrifos, methylmercury, and PCB) which could be potential indicators for a given substance. Significance profiles uncovered genetic effects and revealed appropriate fold-change thresholds for single genes or gene clusters. Fold-change threshold screening is a powerful tool for dimensionality reduction and feature selection in transcriptome data, as it effectively reduces the number of detected genes suitable for environmental monitoring. In addition, it is able to unmask patterns in altered genetic expression hidden by data noise and reduces the chance of type II errors, e.g., in environmental screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hausen
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Jens C Otte
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Uwe Strähle
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Monika Hammers-Wirtz
- Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment - gaiac, Kackertstraße 10, 52072, Aachen, Germany
| | - Henner Hollert
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Steffen H Keiter
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
- Man-Technology-Environment Research Centre, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Richard Ottermanns
- Institute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany
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12
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Groh KJ, Suter MJF. Stressor-induced proteome alterations in zebrafish: a meta-analysis of response patterns. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2015; 159:1-12. [PMID: 25498419 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2014.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2014] [Revised: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Proteomics approaches are being increasingly applied in ecotoxicology on the premise that the identification of specific protein expression changes in response to a particular chemical would allow elucidation of the underlying molecular pathways leading to an adverse effect. This in turn is expected to promote the development of focused testing strategies for specific groups of toxicants. Although both gel-based and gel-free global characterization techniques provide limited proteome coverage, the conclusions regarding the cellular processes affected are still being drawn based on the few changes detected. To investigate how specific the detected responses are, we analyzed a set of studies that characterized proteome alterations induced by various physiological, chemical and biological stressors in zebrafish, a popular model organism. Our analysis highlights several proteins and protein groups, including heat shock and oxidative stress defense proteins, energy metabolism enzymes and cytoskeletal proteins, to be most frequently identified as responding to diverse stressors. In contrast, other potentially more specifically responding protein groups are detected much less frequently. Thus, zebrafish proteome responses to stress reported by different studies appear to depend mostly on the level of stress rather than on the specific stressor itself. This suggests that the most broadly used current proteomics technologies do not provide sufficient proteome coverage to allow in-depth investigation of specific mechanisms of toxicant action. We suggest that the results of any differential proteomics experiment performed with zebrafish should be interpreted keeping in mind the list of the most frequent responders that we have identified. Similar reservations should apply to any other species where proteome responses are analyzed by global proteomics methods. Careful consideration of the reliability and significance of observed changes is necessary in order not to over-interpret the experimental results and to prevent the proliferation of false positive linkages between the chemical and the cellular functions it perturbs. We further discuss the implications of the identified "top lists" of frequently responding proteins and protein families, and suggest further directions for proteomics research in ecotoxicology. Apart from improving the proteome coverage, further research should focus on defining the significance of the observed stress response patterns for organism phenotypes and on searching for common upstream regulators that can be targeted by specific assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ksenia J Groh
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Marc J-F Suter
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland; ETH Zürich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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13
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Zheng L, Yu J, Shi H, Xia L, Xin Q, Zhang Q, Zhao H, Luo J, Jin W, Li D, Zhou J. Quantitative toxicoproteomic analysis of zebrafish embryos exposed to a retinoid X receptor antagonist UVI3003. J Appl Toxicol 2015; 35:1049-57. [DOI: 10.1002/jat.3099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
- Department of Cancer Biology and Pharmacology; University of Illinois College of Medicine; One Illini Drive Peoria IL 61605 USA
| | - Jianlan Yu
- Asia Pacific Application Support Center; AB SCIEX; 888 Tianlin Road Shanghai 200233 China
| | - Huahong Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Liang Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Qi Xin
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Qiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Heng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Ji Luo
- Asia Pacific Application Support Center; AB SCIEX; 888 Tianlin Road Shanghai 200233 China
| | - Wenhai Jin
- Asia Pacific Application Support Center; AB SCIEX; 888 Tianlin Road Shanghai 200233 China
| | - Daoji Li
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
| | - Junliang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research; East China Normal University; 3663 Zhongshan (N) Road Shanghai 200062 China
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14
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Penglase S, Hamre K, Ellingsen S. Selenium prevents downregulation of antioxidant selenoprotein genes by methylmercury. Free Radic Biol Med 2014; 75:95-104. [PMID: 25064324 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2014.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Revised: 07/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Selenium (Se) is an essential nutrient required by Se-dependent proteins, termed selenoproteins. The selenoprotein family is small but diverse and includes key proteins in antioxidant, redox signaling, thyroid hormone metabolism, and protein folding pathways. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a toxic environmental contaminant that affects seafood safety. Selenium can reduce MeHg toxicity, but it is unclear how selenoproteins are affected in this interaction. In this study we explored how Se and MeHg interact to affect the mRNA expression of selenoprotein genes in whole zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Embryos were obtained from adult zebrafish fed MeHg with or without elevated Se in a 2×2 factorial design. The embryo mRNA levels of 30 selenoprotein genes were then measured. These genes cover most of the selenoprotein families, including members of the glutathione peroxidase (GPX), thioredoxin reductase, iodothyronine deiodinase, and methionine sulfoxide reductase families, along with selenophosphate synthetase 2 and selenoproteins H, J-P, T, W, sep15, fep15, and fam213aa. GPX enzyme activity and larval locomotor activity were also measured. We found that around one-quarter of the selenoprotein genes were downregulated by elevated MeHg. These downregulated genes were dominated by selenoproteins from antioxidant pathways that are also susceptible to Se-deficiency-induced downregulation. MeHg also decreased GPX activity and induced larval hypoactivity. Elevated Se partially prevented MeHg-induced disruption of selenoprotein gene mRNA levels, GPX activity, and larval locomotor activity. Overall, the MeHg-induced downregulation and subsequent rescue by elevated Se levels of selenogenes regulated by Se status suggest that Se deficiency is a contributing factor to MeHg toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Penglase
- National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway; Department of Biology, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
| | - K Hamre
- National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - S Ellingsen
- National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
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15
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Zebrafish as a Model for Developmental Neurotoxicity Assessment: The Application of the Zebrafish in Defining the Effects of Arsenic, Methylmercury, or Lead on Early Neurodevelopment. TOXICS 2014. [DOI: 10.3390/toxics2030464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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16
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Lin KY, Chang WT, Lai YC, Liau I. Toward functional screening of cardioactive and cardiotoxic drugs with zebrafish in vivo using pseudodynamic three-dimensional imaging. Anal Chem 2014; 86:2213-20. [PMID: 24456565 DOI: 10.1021/ac403877h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Given the high mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases and the life-threatening consequences of drugs with unforeseen adverse effects on hearts, a critical evaluation of the pharmacological response of cardiovascular function on model animals is important especially in the early stages of drug development. We report a proof-of-principle study to demonstrate the utility of zebrafish as an analytical platform to predict the cardiac response of new drugs or chemicals on human beings. With pseudodynamic 3D imaging, we derive individual parameters that are central to the cardiac function of zebrafish, including the ventricular stroke volume, ejection fraction, cardiac output, heart rate, diastolic filling function, and ventricular mass. We evaluate both inotropic and chronotropic responses of the heart of zebrafish treated with drugs that are commonly prescribed and possess varied known cardiac activities. We reveal deranged cardiac function of a zebrafish model of cardiomyopathy induced with a cardiotoxic drug. The cardiac function of zebrafish exhibits a pharmacological response similar to that of human beings. We compare also cardiac parameters obtained in this work with those derived with conventional 2D approximation and show that the latter tends to overestimate the cardiac parameters and produces results of greater variation. In view of the growing interest of using zebrafish in both fundamental and translational biomedical research, we envisage that our approach should benefit not only contemporary pharmaceutical development but also exploratory research such as gene, stem cell, or regenerative therapies targeting congenital or acquired heart diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuen-You Lin
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Institute of Molecular Science, National Chiao Tung University , Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
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17
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Analytical and bioanalytical approaches to unravel the selenium–mercury antagonism: A review. Anal Chim Acta 2013; 801:1-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2013.08.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Revised: 07/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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18
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Fu J, Han J, Zhou B, Gong Z, Santos EM, Huo X, Zheng W, Liu H, Yu H, Liu C. Toxicogenomic responses of zebrafish embryos/larvae to tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) reveal possible molecular mechanisms of developmental toxicity. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:10574-82. [PMID: 23919627 DOI: 10.1021/es401265q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is frequently present in indoor dust and can be detected in human milk. In order to evaluate the effects of TDCPP on vertebrate development, zebrafish embryos/larvae were used as an animal model to examine developmental phenotypes and explore possible mechanisms of toxicity by employing microarrays and iTRAQ labeling quantitative proteomics. The results demonstrated that treatment with TDCPP (3 μM) from 0.75 h postfertilization (hpf) inhibited cell rearrangement at 4 hpf, caused delay in epiboly at 5.7 and 8.5 hpf, and led to abnormal development (e.g., short tail, reduced body size) and lethality between 14 and 45 hpf, which might be related with altered expression of genes regulating embryogenesis. Furthermore, trunk curvature was observed as the main phenotype in 96 hpf zebrafish larvae exposed to 1 or 3 μM TDCPP, possibly by changing somite formation and expression of proteins related to fast muscle and cartilage development. Collectively, our results suggest that exposure to TDCPP causes developmental toxicity in vertebrates and warrant the need for studies to evaluate the potential health risks of TDCPP to developing human embryos/infants/children, due to its frequent presence in indoor dust and potential for human exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse & School of the Environment, Nanjing University , Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
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19
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Sample loading influences studies comparing isoelectric focusing vs. strong cation exchange peptide fractionation. J Chromatogr A 2013; 1307:207-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2013.06.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2013] [Revised: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 06/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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20
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Cordero-Herrera I, Cuello S, Goya L, Madrid Y, Bravo L, Cámara C, Ramos S. Molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effect of selenocystine against methylmercury-induced cell death in human HepG2 cells. Food Chem Toxicol 2013; 59:554-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.06.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Revised: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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